This is the first time I have checked the blog since way before the Family Reunion. Michelle is right about using it more. I am the worst! (This is Jen.)

I am feeling super stressed lately b/c I have started taking an advanced art class. It is way more advanced than I am. The third class was Thursday and I have felt so incompetent that I haven't picked up my paint-brush since. I have been so down that I haven't even gone running which I usually like. I need to get back into it b/c I have lots of homework every week. I think everyone else in the whole class graduated from college in art. I think I will ditch next week. :)

On the lighter side, the elementary school had a walk-a-thon yesterday. A week ago, the boys came home from school so excited to get pledges for the walk-a-thon that they went straight to work. They were canvassing the neighborhood and basically bugging all of our friends and neighbors. I even put a $2/lap pledge for each boy. A lap is 1/8 of a mile. They would have 50 minutes to run as many laps as they could. Roy misunderstood and thought that they could run up to 8 laps and pledged another $3/lap/boy. There were lots of prizes for the most laps, the most money earned, earning over $100, etc... So they were super motivated. By the next night each boy had about $50 collected. Then Joey started getting nervous that one of his friends would get more money then he. So, he decided to "train" for the walk-a-thon. He was using the elliptical every day and running around the neighborhood. Well, yesterday was the event. The newspaper was there to cover it. I helped mark off laps for the kids. After it was over we owed Will $115, Joey $165, and Andrew $170. Will did 23 laps (almost 3 miles!), Joey did 33 (a little more than 4 miles!) and Andrew sprinted the last five minutes to beat Joey and got 34 laps. I am very proud of them. Next year we will not be pledging $5/lap. But on the bright side, every penny goes to the school for technology, school activities and classroom supplies. $450 eeeck!

You want an update and a funny story...

okay then...here you go.

Gary: "Quinny, you have a rooster tail to take care of before school."
Quinn & I watered it down as we made rooster sounds.
Me: "Okay, I think we took care of it."
Quinn: "Does that mean I'm a chicken now?"

And now to the update:

Going...

Going...

Gone!

All I can say, is of the three near deaths we've experienced this past month, I'm glad the van was the only real fatality. RIP old pal. It was a good ten years.

What's the Point of this Blog!

So we have this blog, why aren't we using it? I LOVE hearing and seeing your lives and want us to use this more. Put funny things on that your kids say. Put fun pictures of things that you are doing. Post recipes that you find that are amazing and totally easy (for people like me). I am just as guilty as anyone of not posting on here enough. Let's have some fun and get more involved in knowing and sharing our lives! For example, yesterday I went to Renee's after work for mate, and she had some soup in her crock pot. It smelled SO good. I asked what it was and she gave me the recipe and I went home and made it and LOVED it. It was so good. It was a cream of zucchini soup and the kids liked it a lot too. She should post the recipe it was that good! I miss hearing from you guys and because I work, I don't usually know what's going on as much as the rest of you maybe. Although I will say, I LOVE my job and am so happy right now. I smile almost every day and love what I do. Weird! I never thought I would say that. So share your lives people, I want to know what is happening :)